BOULDER — With the news Thursday that Colorado freshman receiver Jeffrey Thomas has returned home to Dallas for “personal reasons” and will grayshirt (delay his enrollment until January), it got me wondering if wide receiver has become a jinxed position for Colorado.

It sure seems so.

CU coach Jon Embree and his staff signed three wideouts in February, and only one, Gerald Thomas, is in school. Jeffrey Thomas (no relation) and Peyton Williams will grayshirt. Williams is coming off reconstructive knee surgery for an ACL tear suffered last December during the high school playoffs and wouldn’t be fully recovered for the start of this season.

For whatever reason — and there seems to be myriad of them — bad luck has followed Colorado wide receiver recruits.

Embree said freshman wide receiver Jeffrey Thomas of Dallas and junior wide receiver/tight end DaVaughn Thornton of Denver must sit out the first two games of the season, Sept. 1 against Colorado State (in Denver) and Sept. 8 at home against Sacramento State.

Redshirt-freshman linebacker Jermane Clark of Winston-Salem, N.C., is no longer with the team, Embree said, because of “previous issues,” personal family issues and and his involvement in the pellet gun incident. “It’s probably better that (Clark) get back there (to North Carolina) and get a fresh start,” Embree said.

According to the Boulder Camera, 10 Boulder police officers were responded to reports from witnesses that that two cars containing CU players were pointing a gun at each other. The witnesses believed the Airsoft pellet gun was real.

No charges were filed, but Embree was made aware of the situation and took action. He consulted with the players involved and their parents. Those who were connected to the incident and are still on the team must participate in extra physical workouts as a penalty for their actions.

“We’ll talk in detail and re-emphasize how we behave, what needs to be done,” Embree told reporters. “The Boulder police were great. For the most part, our players have done a great job of trying to be the type of citizen that we want everybody to be proud of.

“I know no charges were filed. But at the end of the day, we don’t behave that way. There’s no gray area when you behave like those guys behaved. They’ve been punished appropriately.

“I don’t care if I’m coaching the checkers team, there is a certain way we need to behave. They know that. We’ve had the discussion before. It’s a privilege to be on the team. People are going to look up to you, you have kids looking up to you. If you don’t think (those standards) are fair, don’t be on the team. You have to behave in a certain way.”

Colorado signed three wide receivers in February, has commitments from two wideouts for the current recruiting cycle and the Buffaloes are after more.

Word comes from Rivals.com that Devin Ross, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound wide receiver-defensive back at Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Academy, appears close to committing to Colorado.

Ross is a 3-star prospect ranked by Rivals as the 72nd-best overall senior in the state of California. A two-way player who is expected to be a wide receiver at the college level, Ross also has offers from Boston College, Iowa State, Minnesota, San Diego State and others.

He has become friends with Colorado’s top-rated commitment: four-star tight end Mitchell Parsons of Chaparral HS in Parker.

“I really like (Colorado’s) coaching staff,” Ross told Rivals.com. “I have talked with some of the players. I just like it a lot. I am pretty close to committing. I am probably going to do it soon.”

Colorado has commitments from a pair of two-star wide receivers from California: Bryce Bobo (6-3, 175) of Covina Charter Oak and Elijah Dunston (6-1, 180) of West Hills Chaminade.

The Buffs signed three receivers from Texas high schools in February: Gerald Thomas (5-11, 175) of The Colony, Jeffrey Thomas (6-3, 190) of Duncanville and Peyton Williams (6-1, 190) of Southlake Carroll.

Williams, coming off a knee injury suffered in high school, may “grayshirt” and delay his enrollment to CU . That would make him a de facto member of a Colorado’s 2013 recruiting class that may be teeming with receivers.

Canty replaced Richardson at the “Z” last fall when Richardson missed four games during his sophomore season with a knee sprain. Richardson tore an ACL and cartilage in the same (left) knee during Monday’s practice. He will require surgery and is likely done for the year.

Canty, who finished with 14 catches in 2011 as a redshirt freshman, said he’s ready to again assume the role of Richardson’s replacement if called upon.

“When someone goes down, that’s always bad,” said Canty, a New Orleans native. “But you have to step up and hold your own. It was just a freak accident. He was going back and planted (without contact), and then he went down.

“Paul, I’ll have to give it to him, he’s very fast. I’m one of the quicker receivers, so I’m able to slip the line. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that, and I’ve been working on my hands.”

Meanwhile, Richardson texted Wednesday morning: “Woke up this morning feeling a lot better knowing I have so much support from my family, friends, and teammates”

Colorado has one more closed practice on Thursday prior to Saturday’s 5 p.m. spring game at Folsom Field. The spring game will be preceded by a CU football alumni flag football game at 3:30.

BOULDER — The loss of star wide receiver Paul Richardson (ACL tear in Monday’s practice) for the season is a big blow to the Colorado football program which hopes to improve substantionally on last year’s 3-10 record.

But offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy told me Tuesday that he is impressed with the young receivers already on the Buffs roster and expects big things from three signees who will arrive in August.

“All of the guys have done a great job this spring,” Bieniemy said. “Last year was about like, ‘Let’s get together for lunch and see who can do what.’ This year, if we call a formation, these kids know where to line up. If we call a concept, they know what exactly to do. We’re not just talking about splits anymore. We’re talking about details.”

Among the returning wide receivers, Colorado will be looking to sophomores-to-be Keenan Canty and Tyler McCulloch, redshirt freshman Nelson Spruce and converted tight end DaVaughn Thornton.

Three Texas wideouts from the Dallas-Fort Worth area signed with the Buffs in February and will join the program this summer: Gerald Thomas (5-11, 175 pounds, The Colony HS), Jeffrey Thomas (6-3, 190, Duncanville HS) and Peyton Williams (6-1, 190, Southlake Carroll HS).

“We recruited to needs,” Bieniemy said. “All the guys we signed will have a chance to help us as freshmen.”

Richardson, CU’s fastest receiver and top homerun threat, was hurt Monday. At the time, CU coach Jon Embree thought it was an ankle injury. The school announced the diagnosis of a season-ending ACL tear Tuesday afternoon. He will undergo surgery to repair the torn knee ligament.

A junior-to-be, Richardson played as a true freshman and has an available redshirt year.

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Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.